Steam-propelled vehicle



K. c. BROWN. STEAM PROPELLD VEHICLE.

l"2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

FILED AUG. I8. 1921.

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In! Sal Jan.

K. C. BROWN.

. STEAM PROPELLED VEHICLE. v

FILED AUG- 18. 1921.

Patented l dan. (d, i923,

KENNETH C. BROWN, 0F HNSDALE, ILLNIS, ASSIGNOR TO 'WNSLOW SAFETY HGfElI` PRESSURE BOLER COMPANY', F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF LLL NDIS.

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Application filed August 18, 1921. Serial No. 493,392.

To all 'whom it may con-oem:

Be it known that l, KENNETH C. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hinsdale, inthe county of Du Page and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Steam- Propelled Vehicles, olf which the following is a full, Aclear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming ra part ot this speciication.

My invention relates to steam propelled -vehicles and has particular reference to trucks, tractors and other heavy duty vehicles designed for low` speed operation.

Steam propulsion ot' vehicles has iinportant advantages inherent in a high start ing torque and in the flexibility which results from the ability of the steam engine to give its entire range ot torque at substantially any desired engine speed. In order to obtain the compat "irre, small mass of moving parts and the i= ibility which is so essent'ialin vehicle practice, it is necessary vto design the steam engine lor a relatively `high speed ,of rotation, closely7 approaching that of an internal combustion engine. This involves a considerable `speed reduction between the steam engine and the driving wheels of a slow speed vehicle. it is with the manner of obtaining this speed reduction that the present invention is primarily concerned. According to iny conception 'l provide an ar angement ol drive wherein the driving torque is maintained at a minimum through the entire transmis sion into the driving wheels,` This is accomplished by eltecting the entire speed re duction, or the major portion thereol, in speed reduction mechanism embodied iii the f driving wheels.

torque characteristics inherent in the steam engine, which torque characteristics dis pense with the necessity of a change speed geark transmission and its torque boosting action, and enable the entire speed reduction andtorque boost to be etl'ected directly in the driving wheels et the vehicle. By such arrangement, the driving stresses created in the driving spindle extending transversely between the wheels, and inr the propellershatt (it any) are reduced to a miniii'iuin, whereby these sliaits can be inade of relatively small diameter with the `to the cab .of `the truck.

rllhis is made possible by the attendant advantages ot smaller roller bearings, a smaller differential yand housing, smaller universels, etc. y c I The present invention also enables the de- .Sired speed reduction to be obtained with the steam engine slung directly on the rear axle, without necessitating large reduction gears between the engine and differential or between the engine and the driving spindle. Large speed reduction gears at this point `are particularly objectionable because of their inaccessibility and their tendencyvto reduce the road clearance of the vehicle undesirably. a

in thel accompanying drawings illustrating my invention:

1. lligure l is a plan view cita truck chassis embodying my` invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary` sectional view oit the rear axle` and one of the driving wheels;

Figure o isa plan vView ofthe reversing `gear boi; withl the cover removed;

Figure 1i; is a plan viewvot truclichassis yembodying another form `otmy invention; and

Figure 5 :is a fragmentary sectional view showing the drive between the engine and the rear wheels. g, v

Referring first toFigures l, 2 and .3, the chassis trame l has front `andrear wheels 2 and Bsupported by springs (l, `and has `a boiler 5 mounted preferably at the forward end o t the truck` under thehood (i. The boiler 5 may be` of any type suitable 'for vehicle practice, and supplies steam to a reciprocating engine 7 which is preferablyv located under the drivers seatfor in proximity The engine 7 is illustrated as being of they ;twocylinder, double acting compound type havinga variable cut-oit `valve gear by which the eiigine caribe simplified for the admission of boiler pressure steam into the low ypressure cylinder as `wellas into the high pressure cylinder 9. They engine is supportedin any suitable manner upon cross struts il secured "to the side channels of the chassis frame.

The engine inay be arranged for reversing,

although for simplicity oit' valve gear` and engine construction it is often desirable to employ a reversing gear illustrated by the reve sing gear box' l2 located directly in rear ofthe engine 7. Asshownin `lfligure 3 Vcan thus be made relatively light.

the engine shaft 13 is extended into this gear box and-is splined for mounting a slidable gear 14 thereon. One face of this gear is formed with a jaw clutch 15 which is adapted to cooperate with a similar clutch 16 on suitable shifting fork is arranged to engage in a groove 24 in the side ofthe gear 14 for connection through a suitable shifter rod 25 with a reversing lever 26 in the drivers com partrnent. Thel gears are preferably so proportioned that when the gear 14 is shifted into mesh with the' gear 21 for reverse driving of the vehicle, the shafts 13 and 18 will rotate at substantially the same-speed.

l have not illustrated the various connections between the engine and boiler and the controls for the same, as these are a matter of common knowledge to those skilled in the art, and have no direct cooperation kwith the present invention. '1

A universal joint 27 'connects the short shaft 18 with the propeller shaft-28 extending diagonally downward to the rear axle 29. The propeller shaft 28`connects through. a lower universal joint 31 with a short shaft 32 which is journaled in the removable plate 33 mounted in the front of the differential housing 34. Within thishousing they shaft v32 carries a bevel gear 35V which meshes with a bevel gear 36 formed on one side of the differential 37. By reasonv of Vthe large speed reduction which can be effected in the rear wheels 3 there is 'no necessity for a speedreduction between' the bevel gears 35 and 36, and for the purpose of retaining the driving spindles to the rear wheels lat as small a diameter as possible, it may be desirable to avoid any material' speed reduction between the gears 35 and 36 so that the propeller shaft and spindles will carry substantially the same torque and Accordingly, I have 'illustrated the bevel gear 35 as being of substantially the saine diameter as the bevel gear 36 so-that substantially a 1 to 1 ratio will prevail between the propeller shaft and driving spindles. The differential 37 is of any conventional design, the one illustrated comprising the usual bevel pinions 38 meshing with :bevel gears `39 on the ends of the two driving spindles 41. The shaft 32-and the inner' ends of the `spindles 41 are provided with the usual roller bearings for carrying the radial and thrust loads imposed on these shafts, no

specific description being made of these bearings as they are a matter of mechanical design. f The axle 29 comprises a non-rotating axle .sleeve or tube 42 which extends from within the differential housing into Athe wheel 3.

These axle sleeves at each end of the axle constitute the dead axles or supports'upon the ends of which the wheels 3 are journaled which receive the load stresses. Each wheel is formed with a hollow hub 43k which journaled` on the end of` `the axle sleeve 42 through a pair of roller bearings 44 .and The web 46 of the wheel may be dished inwardly to conipactly disposepart of the brake dr m 47 within the plane ofthe wheel. rShe non-rotating axle sleeve 42 is ex- 'tended beyond the end of the hub 43 for mounting the hub 'of external gear 4S. The hub of said gear is lreyed or lotherwise rigidly mounted on the non-rotating arri sleeve 42 so as to hold the gear 43 against rotation. `Each spindle 41 extends beyond the hub of this stationary gear and mounts a sprocket 49 of relatively small size. From lel this central sprocket suitable driving ehfain 51 is trained outwardly over a relatively large sprocket wheel 52 on a planetary sha-ft 53 adjacent the outer rim of the wheel. rRhe planetary shaft 53 is journaled in roller bearings 54 which are mounted in a hollow boss 55 formed in a web or othersuitable formation extending integrally v'from the rim or body of the wheel. 1li relatively small planetary gear 56 is rigidly mountedon the planetary shaft 53 directly in rea-r of the s proclret wheel 52, and remains in ymesh with the noinrotating gear 48. The front of the wheel may be closed by any suitable closure plate 53, and the bearings for the wheel vare suitably arranged to retain lubricant against Y leakage so that an oil bath can be retained within the wheel 3 for eiiieient lubrication of the above drive mechanism. 1n the operation of this driving mechanism', the non-ro tating gear 43 constitutes a. fixed track about i 'which the planetary gear 56 revolves under chain 51. The planetary gear 56 in its planetary rotation around the non-rotating gear 48 carries the wheel 3 forwardly at the reduced planetary speed of the planetary shaft 53. Y

lt will be noted that byv reason -vof the large speed reduction occurring between the the driving torque transmitted throughthe l sprockets v49 and 52 and between theplane-.pl

tary gears 56 and 43 vthe entire speed reduction from the engine speed to thetraction wheel speed can be secured within the wheels 3. las before remarked, it is therefore possible to drive the spindles 41 at substantially engine speed whereby the spindles carry a relatively light torque load and can be made of relatively small diameter with the attendant advantages of small bearings, ete.

weies ln Figures s and 5, I have shown the engine 7 as being slung directly on the rear axle 29. The :forward end of the engine 7 has a resilient ball mounting suspended from a cross strut 5S. rihis engine is preferably of` the two cylinder double acting type, and, as shown in Figure 5, has its con necting rods 59 connecting with crank pins 6l on the crank disks 62. These two crank disks are mounted on a crank shaft G3 supported in spaced `bearings 6st between which is a dri ving spur gear rigidly secured to the shaft 63. This spur gear meshes with a similar gear 66 mounted on the circumference oi the dit'- erential 67. The housing 68 which encloses the crank and connecting rods otx the engine is also extended out around the differential 67 to house the latter. This housing `may be split transversely at substantiallyT the juncture plane between the gears, 65 and 6G for permitting the convenient sepa'ation of the engine part of th-e housing from the differential portion for the convenient removal of the engine.

The differential is illustrated as being of the conventional bevel gear design, and ope a-tes to drive the two spindles ell at a speed approximating or closely approaching that of the engine cra-nir shaft 63. lt is difficult to obtain any material speed reduction between the gears 65 and 66 because of the objectionably large size which this yrequires of the gear 66 and the reduced road clearance resulting therefrom. rllhe axle 29 supports the ktwo driving wheels 8 in substantially the saine manner previously described7 and the spindles Lil operate through the saine driving' relation oi' .sprockets 49 52, chains 5l and gears 5G and i8 to drive the wheel 3.

ln this instance, the valve gear oi the engine 7 is timing of the engine i'or reversed drive.

I claim: y

l. ln a steam propelled vehicle, la frame, a rear axle transverse to the traine, wheels for the rear axle, a steam engine having longitudinal shaft, said engine being supported on said frame forward `of said rear axle, said rear axle having an axle housing, a diiierential gear and live spindles, reduction gearingin the wheels connecting the live spindles and said wheels5and a longitudinal propeller shaft connecting the engine shaft and said differential, said propeller shaft being driven at engine speed.

2. ln a steam` propelled vehicle, a longitudinal frame, .a steam boiler` at the front end of the frame, a transverse rear axle having a housing, differential gearsand live spindles in the housing, wheels for the rear aXle, reduction gears in the wheels for connecting the live spindles with the wheels, a non-reversible steani engine mounted near said boiler, said engine having a crank shaft lying longitudinally of the trarne, a longiy connecting the enn differential, and a yinetudinal propeller shaft gine shaft and tie chanical rev for reversing the propeller shaft with respect to the engine shaft.

In witness whereof, l hereunto subscribe my naine this 22nd dayof July, 1921.

KENNETH C. BROWN.

made capable of reversing the' 

